German tennis star Alexander Zverev has opened up on the impact that fatherhood has had on his game. The tall German, who took down ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal to lift his second Madrid title this year, welcomed a baby girl into his life a few months ago.

To a question on whether the birth of his daughter has brought about a positive impact on his attitude towards the sport, Zverev said he has always been motivated to play tennis.

Always been motivated to play tennis: Alexander Zverev

Speaking to reporters before opening his Roland-Garros campaign against compatriot Oscar Otte later on Sunday, the current World No.6 said, “I think I was always extremely motivated when it came to tennis.”

He added that becoming a father was, indeed, a special moment and he is “happy” with everything that has gone on in his life over the last few months.

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However, he insisted that he has never had to struggle to find the motivation to play tennis.

“Of course, it’s (fatherhood) a big part of everything that happened to me but when it comes to tennis, I think it was always a big motivation for me and yeah, I’m happy with everything that has been going on in the last few months,” Zverev said.

Zverev has had a strong season on clay this year

Sascha has had a strong run on clay this year and would fancy going all the way at Roland-Garros. Though he opened his clay court season with a fourth exit at Monte-Carlo Masters, he grew progressively better on the surface thereafter, recording a quarter-final finish at the Bavarian International before lifting his second Tour title this year in Madrid.

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He capped off a phenomenal week in the Spanish capital, during which he took down British No.1 Dan Evans, Nadal, and reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem, with a hard-fought, come-from-behind win over feisty Italian Matteo Berrettini in the final.

He followed up the Madrid title with a quarter-final finish in Rome. In a rematch with the ‘King of Clay,’ the German came out on the losing side this time, going down in straight sets.

However, despite failing to progress beyond the last-eight in Rome, Zverev remains one of the firm title-contenders at Roland Garros and will back himself to come through his opening fixture on Sunday.

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